Inside My Love
by adna23
Summary: Caroline Forbes has been abused and neglected. She grew up to be insecure and is now stuck in a mental institution. What happens when Niklaus Mikaelson, a man who has his own demons, enters her life? Will they empathize with each other or is destruction their only destiny?
1. Rabbit Heart

**Here I am, a rabbit hearted girl**

**Frozen in the headlights**

**It seems I made the final sacrifice**

**This is a gift, it comes at a price**

**Who is the lamb and who is the knife**

**I wish I could just be brave**

**I must become the lion hearted girl**

**Ready for the fight**

**Before I make the final sacrifice**

* * *

"_Don't!Please…" she murmured, seeing him approach , his right hand clutching on his belt ._

_She closed her eyes shut, not wanting to see those familiar blue eyes that carved deep holes into her heart. He reached out to touch her hair, his smooth fingers twisting her blonde locks. She tried to hold still, to suppress the fear that shrouded her whole body. Sometimes it helped imagining she could crawl out of her body and watch the events take their course without feeling a thing. She expected him to grab her hair, maybe even rip a few strands but he didn't._

_His proximity gave her nausea, but she was just the fragile deer compared to the ferocious lion that stood beside her…too small, too weak, that is what she's been all her life…despised by everyone, even her own mother._

"_Shh,sweet Caroline…Give me the love! It would be a pity for such a beautiful day to end badly, don't you think?" he said slowly but she saw right through him and couldn't help the feeling of disgust that ran through her the moment he touched the hem of her shirt, slowly moving his cold hands on her back until he found the spot just below her breast and pressed roughly._

_Her eyes twitched as a few tears ran down her face. The pain from last time had yet to cease. Those broken ribs were not going to heal in just a week. _

_He analyzed her expression and enjoyed every second of it. Shoving her blouse off, he looked with satisfaction at the purplish portion of skin where he left his mark."Hurts much?"he half smirked._

_To his anger, she kept silent, not wanting to satisfy his ego. Caroline watched as his eyes blackened, filled with the emotions she saw in him so often but could not understand them. The best she could describe them was pure evil. He yanked her up and forcefully threw her on the bed, her head smacking on the frame in the process. She was lucky this time. She lost her consciousness…_

* * *

Caroline felt the tears invade her eyeballs and struggled to remain calm. Somehow, sitting in that unfamiliar, cold room and listening to other people's stories, some of them even darker than hers, helped her forget her demons and made her realize that she is not the only damaged one. That there are lots of broken people out there.

The events that led to her being brought at "Wellfield Correctional Centre" should have been forever forgotten and she somehow managed to keep them at bay during the day. But then there were times when even she couldn't control her feelings, especially at night when all her demons came from the darkest corners and crawled right back to her reminding her of all the things that made her who she is today.

"Caroline? Are you there?" two boney hands distracted her from her thoughts, persistently waving right in front of her face.

"Huh?" she breathed and noticed how everyone stared at her with an intensity that made her whole body convulse.

"Do you want to share anything with us, today? Tell us something about you?" the same warm voice asked her the same question she managed to avoid for days.

The only sound in the silence was the gently ticking of the clock on the greish wall. Caroline finally found her voice, and with trepidation, spoke quietly, hoping her voice wouldn't crack."Uhm, no. Not today!"

The man in front of him looked down at his papers, taking some notes. Disappointment was written all over his face and after a while he spoke."You know eventually you are going to have to talk to us. You can't dodge this bullet forever."

She kept silent as the voices began to blend together until they became a rhythmical background music she started to enjoy. As long as she was kept in the darkness…


	2. Seven Devils

**Seven devils all around you****  
Seven devils in your house****  
See I was dead when I woke up this morning,****  
And I'll be dead before the day is done****  
Before the day is done**

* * *

"Quiet, everybody!" Mr. Donovan's voice echoed through the long hall. "I would like all of you to give your sincerest welcomes to Mr Mikaelson! He came here for you specially and he will analyze your progress!"

A tall, fierce looking man, without a hint of a smile, who looked as though he had not changed his clothes from the previous night stepped forward and was met by the gazes of the lunatics- as he thought of them, that place was so crowded with. He surveyed the surroundings with an insolent look and his eyes narrowed at the sight of a blonde girl who was studying him with interest.

He lingered on her glittering eyes for a few more seconds before lowering his eyes on her lips and a bit further below taking in her slender figure and fair complexion. Her shoulders framed her body and her round breasts perked shyly from under the white blouse, practically urging him to possess her.

She seemed to notice his burning gaze and flinched for just a second before getting a hold of herself. Her curiosity seemed to completely fade away as it was replaced by utter disgust and annoyance. He was surprised she didn't look at him in awe like all the other girls did whenever spotting him for the first time…no, she looked as if he was the soul centre of her hatred and wondered whether she would lounge to rip his eyes out the second she was given the chance.

There was something odd about her, a hollowness in her eyes that clearly mirrored his own. She enticed him, sparked his interest and he had a feeling that it would not be long before she would just give in to him. In fact, that was what all of them did…played hard to get but bent at his will the second he asked them to. He desired her and was glad she was already broken so he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty this time. At least his stay there wouldn't be as boring as he thought, he would keep himself occupied with this young girl right there and he would enjoy every moment of it.

Lost in his thoughts he failed to notice that the whole time, the blonde continued to stare at him with an odd intensity. There was something about him that she couldn't quite place. She soon realized what it was... He gave her the same look Damon used to, before whirling towards her and hurting her time after time, over and over again until she felt there was not a spot he hadn't touched or hadn't destroyed, for that matter. The same look a deranged animal gave its prey before attacking without mercy and killing like it is the most natural thing in the world, like it's in their blood.

The sight of him brought back all those painful memories she tried to bury deep and she instinctively reached for her stomach, shielding it with both her hands and pressing as if her life depended on it. Like two magnets, their eyes suddenly connected and she felt cold chills run down her spine. She couldn't let her guard down, she couldn't make the same mistake twice. She knew it but couldn't help feeling scared about the effect this man had on her, disgusting her but also enticing her.

* * *

As the hour approached faster and faster, Caroline began to feel helpless. There was no way she could avoid talking about her past forever…not if she ever wanted to get out of there, anyways. Her hands began shaking and she broke into a cold sweat. Not wanting to think about how much she would expose herself in front of some strangers, she decided to take a stroll in the park which stretched just outside the centre. She heard it was quite a delight to walk through it and that it also had a majestic fountain she planned on visiting. It was strange how she didn't feel the need to take some fresh air since her arrival until now. All she was determined to do was count the days until her departure, preferably not making any human contact. At least the last part was still an option.

Reaching out for her scarf she saw her own reflection in the mirror above the coffee table. The blank face staring back at her was not a familiar one…the way her eyes started to lose the light they once possessed reminded her of that time she witnessed her dog's death when she was just a kid. She could recall the sound of the tires screeching on the rusty pavement and the loud crash which still haunted her at nights.

She ran as fast as she could, her curly hair getting caught in the branches of the old trees her grandmother planted in her youth years. She didn't care about the pain, she knew something bad happened. When she reached the scene of the accident, the first thing she saw was the silver car disappearing in the distance and the blood…the viscous red liquid that spread on the whole street, making intricate patterns on a dark background. The small animal lied huddled tightly and his scared eyes pierced right through Caroline's.

The little girl felt her heart shrink but stayed with her dog until it took its final breath. She placed her hand above its chest and felt its fading heartbeat, holding as still as she possibly could, until there was complete silence. She watched as the once lively dog turned into a motionless body as the energy drifted from its eyes, leaving behind a shell of a former best friend.

That was the first time she had to go through that kind of pain. Little did she know, however, what life had in store for her. Not a thing in the world could have foreseen how much the little girl with bouncing blonde locks and eyes the color of an exquisite royal blue was bound to suffer.

Absent-mindedly walking through the long halls and passing some rooms she couldn't even begin to think what purpose they served for. After a while, she felt as though she was being watched. She turned backward deftly, wanting to take the creeper by surprise but no one was there. She would have a few more minutes by herself since nobody seemed to have been awake as such an early hour.

After she walked out of the building, she took a few moments to take in the largeness of it.

When she first got there, she couldn't bring herself to raise her head from the ground. She was ashamed, disgusted by her actions and desperately wanting to turn back the time and do things differently. "Shoulder the responsibility for your actions!" she could almost hear her mother yelling at her whenever she asked for her help in the most ordinary situations. In the moment she made that life-changing move she knew that was exactly what she had to do, but that didn't mean it would be an easy road.

Taking a few more steps, she saw the lush scenery unfolding before her. It was quite breathtaking for a mental institution, it was not like those people would suddenly recover by walking through that garden-like park. But in those moments, the time stood still.

She was fascinated by the charming ornaments which were scattered here and there. It clearly reflected the gardener's artistic sensibility and she wondered who would invest so much time and money on such a place…no, this place must have been donated by a generous person.

To her surprise, she saw some Adirondack chairs clustered under the shade of a cherry tree and couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation. If she hadn't known better she would have thought she was on vacation.

The sound of splashing water nearby suddenly caught her attention and she steered towards it, being met by an elegant tiered fountain placed just in the rear of the garden. She slowly sat on its edge and settled her hands on her knees, wanting to prolong the moment as much as she could, never wanting to go back and face the cruel reality that threatened to destroy her from inside to outside. Some cold drops drifted on her back and soaked her blouse. The sensation sent chills down her spine, making the hair on her arms rise. She closed her eyes and listened to every sound, enjoying herself for the first time in a really long time. The smells were so familiar. The sweet scent of the roses blending in with the freshness of the grass, altogether forming a delightful saccharine aroma.

An overall harmony loomed over the place, charming the eye at every turn and creating a uniquely relaxed atmosphere similar with the one present in her childhood home.

After a while, she decided it would be best to go back inside since people would start looking for her. Best to avoid drama. But just as she stood up and started stretching, someone behind her cleared his voice.

"Sorry, sweetheart! Didn't know you were here!" a wicked smile plastered the man's face and Caroline stiffened.

"How long have you been there?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer. He followed her there. He was the one she heard previously. That made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Relax, sweetheart, I just got here." He responded and she could feel the anger build up. "Besides, you are the one invading my space." He blankly accused her.

"Excuse me?! I got here first!" she looked as if she wanted to hit him in the face, like fighting this urge took every last bit of energy she had left in her.

"Maybe today you did! I must say I am quite impressed with morning people. I, myself am not one but I guess you could teach me how to wake up so early." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Caroline felt her cheeks threaten to redden, but she kept it under control. She levelled a look right back at him.

Scowling, she watched him walk closer to her. She shifted from one foot to another, clearly sensing the tension forming between them but kept her ground.

He extended his hand and murmured "My name is Niklaus Mikaelson! Friends call me Klaus."

"Well, excuse me, Mr. Mikaelson but I am in no mood for introductions and I believe I am expected somewhere. So if you will excuse me…" she bluntly stated without so much as taking a glance at his extended hand.

She turned her back on him and walked out of there as fast as she could. The nerve of this man. She would definitely not fall for his mischievous tricks! She's been there, done that. She may have been weak but she definitely wasn't stupid and could now spot when a man had ulterior motives for talking to her- she wouldn't even go as far as to think about what those motives were.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for sticking with me... I hope you like my story and my idea. I would appreciate it so much if you dropped me a line and told me what you think, how the story should continue and even point out the mistakes I've made. **

**Please don't blame me too much for the brief mention that Damon's the bad guy but I just had this idea in my mind for so long that I just HAD to write it down.**

**Eventually the chapters will get longer and longer. For now I am limiting myself cause I really want to know what you think, should I continue with the story or just find myself another occupation? Also I hope you noticed how the chapters are named after certain songs, especially dear to my heart, since I make a habit of listening to one song while doing a certain activity. In this case I put the song on repeat until I finish the chapter.**

**Also, since English is not my native language I would be forever grateful if you pointed out my mistakes or if I ever happen to "create" a word out of the mess in my head. Until next time, XOXO...**


	3. Crystalised

**Glaciers have melted to the sea****  
****I wish the tide would take me over****  
****I've been down on my knees****  
****And you just keep on getting closer**

** The xx-Crystalised**

* * *

The window pane felt chilled against Caroline's skin. It was a nice relief to the hotness she felt within. She opened her eyes and stared out into the raw night. Dark grey clouds floated against the midnight blue backdrop. The moon was full and reigned heavily in the sky. It was as if she could reach out and clasp it in her palm. Would it kiss her skin or burn it with its frigidness? Would the moon take the heat from her palm and leave her fingers to become frostbitten? Would the moon embrace her like an old friend, spreading some of its silvery glow upon her?

On such nights she felt like the moon was her only confidante, witness of all her deepest cracks and transgressions.

Unlike other nights, she did not know what sent her eyes fluttering open at 3 am. Usually the dark vivid dreams she has habitually wake her up, but today something felt odd. Her sleep abounded in peacefulness, however, a certain feeling of relentlessness loomed over the room. She slowly raised her hands on the wavy glass and allowed her fingers to slide down. Fine beads of water formed on the window, due to the poor ventilation and gathered on her flesh, sending quick bursts of energy, alerting her senses and awakening her entirely.

She started pacing the room back and forth, digging holes into the floor. She was unsure of what to do now, feeling like a bird bound to forever be entrapped in a cage. The dusty air pressed thickly on her lungs, suffocating her with atrocity.

She put on her slippers, gracefully went to the tiny wardrobe and pulled out the thickest, warmest and most concealing wrapper she had.

Before she could change her mind she stepped out into the dark hall, and started toward the stairs. She made sure the guard was fast asleep before tip-toeing into the kitchen where she knew there was a secret back door, reaching straight into the garden. She put her hand into the flour jar where she saw one of the cooks hide the key and smiled with contentment as she felt the small metallic object.

The fresh night air that hit her the moment she opened the rusty door gave her goosebumps and she clenched her teeth tightly as if to shield herself from the cold. The garden still seemed to have the same jaw-dropping effect on Caroline even though it was now concealed from the delicate rays of sunshine that previously pampered every one of its corners.

Though embarrassed to admit it, she preferred it like that. It was a place filled with mystery and despite not being able to distinguish the colors properly, she knew that something majestic hid behind that all-consuming darkness. Taking a deep breath, she could feel the hundreds of flower's aromas permeating her nose and in that moment she was sure she was in the Garden of Eden.

As she took a few more steps the trees began to disappear, exposing the sky. The moon shyly peeked from behind the clouds and it looked even more beautiful than when she observed it from her room.

Caroline let herself indulge in the silvery rays which touched her smooth face and wondered how long she could stay like that before her legs would start to give up. She didn't want to leave that place, right there.

A hasty thought crossed her mind…if she were to die that would be the last thing she would like to see, that moon so graceful but yet so powerful, everything she longed for herself, yet everything she would not have.

Out of nowhere, a dark figure shifted in front of her and the sound of someone ripping a sheet of paper disturbed the silence of the night.

Feeling her heart in her mouth, Caroline debated whether she should run, but she couldn't bring her legs to move. Something was holding her there, so she continued to stare at the man steadily. She could only see his back, yet it was clear that the man was just as mesmerized by the beauty of the moon as she was.

Judging by the soft sound of the pen barely scraping the surface of the page, drawing intricate patterns, she imagined he was trying to capture the sight standing before them- that their eyes took so much pleasure in admiring. She could see his muscles moving under his figure-hugging blouse as he clearly directed all of his focus on the movements of his hands, trying to reproduce the scenery as close to the reality as possible.

She was again put in the same position as earlier. Indecision… not knowing whether to approach the man or leave once and for all. She breathed deeply, resigned to turn away and go back to bed, but... she couldn't ignore the desire to see what he was doing. She must have stepped on a branch or something because she felt the pull of his eyes, and couldn't resist allowing hers to rise to meet them. He stood in the pale moonlight, his arms hugging the drawing tightly, and as her eyes met his, she felt that all too familiar jolt, it was the man she saw in the same garden the day before.

His face was tentative. She looked like a vision from his dreams, long blonde hair falling in clouds around her shoulder. He was sure that never in his entire life had he seen a more beautiful creature, with the way her gown peeked out from underneath the coat and waved ever so slightly when the wind hit it, exposing a little bit of marble skin.

She felt his burning gaze and instinctively stiffened. He seemed to notice, for his blue eyes roved back over hers. He smirked at her, slightly parting his lips, showing his perfectly white teeth.

"Seems to me we have a tendency to bump into each other, sweetheart." He said, a little too confident for her tastes.

"Don't call me that!" she snapped at him. "Ever!"

"Pardon my indiscretion!" he said lifting his hands defensively. "Although, if I remember correctly, you were the one who wouldn't give me your name the last time we saw each other. How else am I going to call you?"

She huffed, resisting the urge to hit him. He was so smug in his behavior, it annoyed her to the very core. This time he took a few steps towards her, holding her gaze all the way through. She lowered her eyes to her feet, desperately trying to avoid the tension that was slowly building between them.

Once in front of her, he paused for a minute before lifting his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. As their gazes met from up-close, Caroline felt cold chills run down her spine. She found herself looking into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. However, there was a hollowness behind that icy blue that scared her. It was the same one she saw everytime she looked in the mirror… a darkness that took its toll on both their souls…She wondered what had happened to him… he was a man, he was strong, unlike her…

She got so caught up in his gaze that she almost missed his question.

"What is your name?" he asked, still crushing her with his hypnotic stare.

She was lost for a couple of seconds, did not know whether to respond or not. Would he have any advantage over her, should he know her name?

"Caroline Forbes." She answered dazed. He removed his hand from her chin, only to take her hand instead. He took it to his lips, kissing it gently, glancing up at her from under his lashes. As he straightened, he smiled charmingly at her.

"It's a pleasure. My name is Klaus, but I think we already had that covered." He winked.

A small, yet genuine smile formed on her lips.

"What are you doing at such late of an hour, anyway?" she cleared her throat in an attempt to get rid of the bump she felt was stuck inside her neck. She burnt with curiosity over the drawings she knew he kept himself busy with, before he had spotted her. She secretly hoped he would show them to her as she had always fancied art, but couldn't gather the courage to ask him.

He sensed it, noting the way her eyes drifted to the object he held in one of his hands, so he decided to make it easier for her.

"Well, I find that beauty is present more often during the night. It has always fascinated me how exquisite things look under the glowing light of the moon so that is why I always stay up till the latest hours." There was an almost imperceptible pause before he spoke once again. "This is the time I feel most like myself." He replied, for a moment looking like he was lost deep in thought.

Caroline analyzed his expressions, the way his eyebrows curled to form a big frown on his face, his lips pursed together in an oval shape. She desperately wanted to get a glimpse of what he was thinking but as soon as she thought about it his features suddenly changed.

Nodding, the mask once again in place, Klaus asked her " Well, what about you? What woke you up?"

She hesitated for a moment before she spoke. "It must be the pills. They somehow manage to keep me calm at nights, but only for a few hours." She saw him cringe at her words, almost as if he felt pity for her. But why would he? In fact, wasn't he here to analyze their progress? She figured he would be a doctor or something of that sort. Didn't doctors believe in the power of medicines?

She took a few more steps and passed him by, sitting on the bench he had previously occupied. Caroline felt his gaze fixated on her back and suddenly felt her cheeks heaten. She glanced at the moon one more time and it seemed her confidante gave her a moment of clarity. He was there to analyze their progress. And what would a troubled young girl who wondered somewhere she wasn't allowed to, let alone in the middle of the night, say to the jury?

The deal was that she had to be kept under constant supervision for as long as the doctors would see it proper to release her. Until then, she was to act pristinely, talk at the weekly sessions and take her meds. She knew very few people had ever walked out of that place…some of them have been there for 30 years. They were the severe cases, locked in a special building, close to the one she was currently in.

Before she could shake off the thoughts that came rushing to her mind, her whole body began to tremble.

A few seconds later, a large cloak had been carefully placed over her shoulders. She turned around only to come face to face with Klaus. His eyes were slightly narrowed, concern clearly written in them. They looked at each other for what seemed like hours, although it could have been mere minutes, she couldn't tell.

He was mesmerized by her. Something about the way she protectively placed her hands on her stomach as if to try to shield herself from everyone else, or maybe the way the light captured the blueness in her eyes, making them sparkle with a fierceness he had hardly ever seen in someone. She was stronger than she gave herself credit, she was beautiful, she was full of light.

He felt the urge to kiss her, to hug her tightly to his chest, to whisper reassuring words into her ear. He felt the urge to protect her, something he only felt for his family.

Suddenly she shifted nervously and headed back. Caught by surprise, he quickly grabbed her wrist in one rapid, yet demanding move. He must have pressed too hard, because delicate teardrops formed in her eyes as she desperately tried to break free from his strong grip.

Only then did he let go of her hand and looked apologizingly at her but she was already gone, running as fast as she could, her blond curls waving in the wind.

"I'm sorry!" he murmured too far away for her to hear…

* * *

**That's it guys. They finally talked to each other! In the future chapters, you will definitely get a peek into both their past.**

**I would like to thank all of you who took some of your time to review this story and also those who follow or added this story as their favorite. Thank you sooooo much and I hope I won't disappoint you.**

**Until next time-XOXO!**


	4. Desert Rose

I dream of fire  
Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire  
And in the flames  
Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire

This desert rose  
Each of her veils, a secret promise  
This desert flower  
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

* * *

_She was running, scared, engulfed in darkness. She was lost in what could have most-likely been a labyrinth. Nothing seemed right. It was quiet…unusually quiet. The eerie silence threatened to consume her, and at the same time signaled the beginning of an imminent disaster, like the numbness that was inevitably followed by a rampaging storm that would eventually wash out everything, leaving behind a cold tray of detritus._

_And then came that horrifying sound which made her teeth grind together. She had never heard something so atrocious in her entire life. She tried in vain to cover her ears…all her attempts did nothing to soothe the anguish. It seemed that the sound could penetrate even the most resilient material, so powerful it was. She wanted it to stop…she begged for it to stop, but it wouldn't._

_Million of needles impaled her brain as she cried out in sheer agony. That sound, it filled her and emptied her at the same time. She loathed it but felt as if she deserved it. That was her punishment, forever bound to feel the most soul-racking pain one could ever imagine. She couldn't fight it, it was her destiny but then she faintly remembered she was not supposed to be alone. Her hands instinctively reached for her stomach and gently squeezed._

_Nothing…_

_She felt nothing… just a vacant emptiness that once used to be filled with such an angelic bright light that would give her hope in the most heinous situations. Once she realized what had been stolen from her, the rampaging droning sound that only a moment before invaded her whole body, became just a sequence of undertones in the back of her head as an all-consuming anger took its place._

_Her face contorted into an animalistic expression,__her nostrils flaring, her eyes flashing and closing into slits, her mouth quivering and drooling. Slurring words that were unintelligible came spewing into space like a volcano releasing its pent up emotions into the darkness__. _

_A bundle of familiar faces came rushing right before her eyes. She quickly scanned them before stopping on a pair of light blue eyes she whole- heartedly despised. __Her hands closed into fists and she crouched forward__. Damon just stood there, smirking, acting as if he hadn't destroyed all her hopes, dreams and in the end, all her life. And then he lunged forward spreading his spider-like arms on her, crashing all her ribs and enveloping her in a metallic scent…her own blood._

_Terrified and hating herself for being scared of him for the thousandth time she began screaming and kicking until she could no longer feel her arms and legs. _

"Open your eyes!" She kept whimpering and trying to release herself from the iron grasp that held her firmly in place. "Open your eyes, Caroline!" she shivered at the sound of her name and her body became limp. Her eyelids fluttered open, afraid of the sight before her.

"It's okay! It's okay!" the same warm voice kept repeating.

She slightly relaxed as she realized it was not his voice…it was not Damon. Of course it couldn't have been Damon. How could she have been so stupid as to think he could still hurt her. She had taken care of it, hadn't she?

She stared into the pale blue eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Mr. Donovan loosened his grip on her as soon as her breaths began, once again, at their rhythmical pace. "The drugs are working their magic." thought the weary-looking man.

Caroline felt a numbness settle on her limbs and all she wanted was a little peacefulness after such a horrid night.

Now that her mind was a bit clearer she came to the conclusion that it had all been nothing but her usual nightmares. Still, there was something different about this one. It felt real. It felt as if she could touch the man she had dreaded for longer than she could remember.

Glancing behind the doctor's shoulders she could barely make out a dark figure in the dim light. Then suddenly, her eyes shut closed and an unusual calmness settled upon her. She would finally have a dreamless sleep. It had been too long…

Klaus stood in silence, perched on the doorframe, his jaw clenched, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched as the doctor desperately tried to calm the young girl who was fussing in her sleep. Her forehead was covered in a thick layer of sweat and her nightgown was glued tightly to her body, almost smothering her.

First time he walked by her door earlier, he heard her agonizing screams. He thought someone had entered her room and attacked her so he barged in ready for a fight. But he was not prepared for what he was about to see.

A small, fragile body…Caroline's body, was all tensed up and crouched in an uncomfortable position. She tossed from one side to the other, all the while screaming for dear-life.

He did not know what to do. He realized she might hurt herself in her sleep but couldn't figure out what he could possibly do or say that could make her feel better. So he did what he does best…he left.

Halfway down the corridor, he heard footsteps approaching. The young looking doctor appeared, followed by two flustered nurses.

They went after the screams and hurried into her room. Klaus could hear Mr. Donovan barking orders at the nurses and one of them stumbled out of the room and passed him by, looking at him with embarrassment. In a matter of minutes she came back and muttered some apologies to Klaus as she held a few bags in her hands. Klaus could make out the shape of the syringes at the bottom. "Sedatives" he thought grimly.

He was about to go back to his room, but something held him in place and pulled him to her. The doctor was holding Caroline still as a nurse injected the substance in her veins. Only after his lungs started to collapse from the lack of oxygen did Klaus realize he had been holding his breath all that time and cursed himself for taking interest in that girl.

Caroline seemed to regain consciousness, much to everyone's relief. However, it was not much longer until the sedatives kicked in and she slowly drifted back to sleep but not until she caught sight of him staring at her.

Hadn't he known better, he would have thought it was relief that he saw forming on her face even only for a moment.

"I am sorry for the disturbance, Mr. Mikaelson, but I am afraid some patients are well beyond recovery." the pale man tried to explain after checking Caroline's pulse and giving some instructions to the nurses." Though I assure you, your money is put to good use and your donations are not to be forgotten at any moment."

Klaus stood still and his mind wandered away, as the man in front of him continued his long speech full of nonsensical things he did not give a damn about. He was only brought back to reality by the man's hand placed on his back, urging him to leave the room. Klaus quickly grabbed his arm and squeezed it until tears filled the man's eyes. When he decided he had made his point, Klaus let go of the hand.

Mr. Donovan looked taken aback and rubbed the red spot on his arm, trying to hide his fear by taking a few steps back. Klaus enjoyed every second of it and was quite amused by the situation. He found enjoyment in torturing others, relishing in the superiority and sometimes forgetting about the days when his father used to do the same things to him.

A soft whimper made him drift back to reality. The girl lying on the bed looked like an angel, her curly hair spread on the pillow and her face relaxed, her lips curled up in an almost smile. He found it hard to believe she was the same girl as before, haunted by only she knew what and begging for help.

The doctor cleared his voice, hinting it was time to go. Klaus stomped furiously out of the room but not before taking one last glance at the helpless blonde.

* * *

Caroline's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself in the same cold, unfamiliar room. The throbbing pain coming from her muscles when she tried to move confirmed the unfortunate events of the previous night.

She carefully placed her hands over her eyes and rubbed softly. The light was too intense and she, too weak. A soft knock on the door sent her straight up. She steadied herself by propping on the wall.

"Breakfast in 10!" a rusty voice announced from behind the door, opening it slightly just to make sure Caroline was still there, safe and sound and not hanging from the ceilling.

Dizzy as she was, she couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes in annoyance. She had never liked being on a strict schedule. She liked doing things her own way, planning her own timetable. She hated the idea of depending on others. Maybe that was because she never really got along well with her mother.

She was always working late shifts and Caroline had no one to rely on but herself-that is until she met Damon. With his phantom-pale blue eyes and his bad boy attitude, he immediately had her falling head-over heels in love with him.

She was by his side almost all the time. Still, she was a girl and she noticed certain things. She saw the way Damon looked at her best friend, Elena. She noticed how his hands clenched into fists as they passed by her and his brother, Stefan.

She knew, yet she kept hoping that one day he would start to look at her the way he always looked at Elena, like she was the most important person in his life, the light to his darkness. However, that day never came and things only became worse.

And so, victim of an unrequited love, Damon began indulging himself in drinking and inevitably his mental health degraded by the minute. She tried to cheer him up, even amuse him by playing the stupid blonde part, yet he retreated himself deeper and deeper.

Why did she stay with him then? She did not know the answer to that question. Maybe because she had gotten used to always being the second choice, over the years, to always have to stay in the shadow of her friends, to always feel dumb.

Caroline immediately shook off the thoughts. The past is the past, she kept repeating as if to remind herself of the dangers that would come out of the remembrance of things past.

She took off her nightgown, carefully draping it over the bed. Reaching for the small wardrobe she picked the most casual clothes she could find, a pair of washed-up jeans and a white T-shirt.

She scurried for the door, onto the long hall. Moving her feet as fast as she could she was relieved to see that everyone had already gone to the cafeteria and there was no one in line for the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face shivering at the feel of the freezing water touching her sensitive skin. Oh, how she craved a hot shower. She could not even begin to indulge in the thought of a bubbly bath since they were only allowed 2 showers a week, and even those had to be taken with the utmost rapidity otherwise either nurses would barge in, checking on you, or annoyed people waiting for their turn would start their long lines of rehearsed curses.

Drying her face with an old towel she whirled around, aiming for the canteen. At the entrance she was greeted by an unfamiliar face, a massive man in his late thirties who positioned himself in front of her, blocking her way in an aggressive manner.

"Name?" he demanded patronizingly.

"Caroline Forbes." she replied tonelessly. The man searched for her name, marking something on his clip board. He handed her a small pill and a glass of water. She habitually swallowed it and opened her mouth as the man checked to see whether she took it or not.

Satisfied, he stepped back allowing her to pass. She entered the room, immediately being struck by the awful fumes for what mystery foods they had cooked. Orders were shouted above the constant drone of busy hungry people.

Standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, Caroline scanned every corner of the canteen searching for a remote place to sit. It seemed that there were more and more people everyday and soon enough there would be no space left to breathe.

People kept weaving their way through the crowd, cautiously carrying bowls of soup. Some pushed through the crowd, earning the disapproving grunts of others and some would sit quietly at their table, not even attempting to make small talks with each other.

Finally spotting a seat at the very end of the canteen, where she wouldn't have to deal with an awful lot of people, Caroline marched towards it. To her disappointment one girl was already there, but weighing her other options and feeling the nod in the pit of her stomach, Caroline decided to sit down and try to ignore the girl as much as possible.

Sadly for her, she did not know that the girl was not one to be ignored.

"I have been wondering when you would finally decide to show your face, Caroline Forbes." A husky voice drew her back from her thoughts.

"What did you just say?" Caroline inquired half interested half annoyed by the straightforwardness of that statement, lifting her head to gaze for the first time at her companion.

A young girl, not more than 18 years old stared back at her. Her dark chestnut hair was swept back into a ponytail, a few loose strands hanging by the side of her face. The girl resembled her best friend, Elena so much that it scared Caroline to her very core. She had the same face, the same complexion and moreover the same deep brown eyes. However, they were not filled with the same kindness that was always present in Elena's. No…they were blank.

The brown-haired girl lifted a dangerously thin hand and placed it under her chin, raising an eyebrow suggestively at her.

"Do I know you?" Caroline demanded, a slight warning present in her voice.

" me think… No, you don't. "A long silence followed her reply, time which Caroline spent thinking that the girl was certainly a lunatic, like most of the people surrounding her in that moment.

"But I do know you. I've known about you for a very long time." continued the girl, amusement written all over her face as if mocking Caroline.


	5. Running Up That Hill

**You don't wanna hurt me,****  
****But see how deep the bullet lies.****  
****Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder.****  
****There's a thunder in our hearts, baby.****  
****So much hate for the ones we love?****  
****Tell me, we both matter, don't we?**

* * *

"How do you know me? Have we ever met?" Caroline inquired once again half expecting the girl to burst out in giggles and prove once and for all that she was down-right crazy. Still, there was a part of Caroline that peeked beyond the girl's façade and could not overlook the strong resemblance she bore to her former friend.

The brown-haired girl seemed to be an excellent actress in comparison to Elena as she could not really hide that confident saunter of hers which contrasted deeply with the place she was in. Elena had warm brown eyes full of sympathy and kindness whereas the other one's were void of any emotions. _How was it possible?_ There were differences between the stranger across the table and Elena, but so many similarities as well, similarities that made Caroline oddly wary.

"Has Elena never told you about me? Because she did tell me a lot of things about you." The girl finally spoke in a husky voice.

So it was true then…Caroline's inkling was confirmed. The girl was indeed related to Elena.

"You are her sister, aren't you?" Caroline exclaimed shocked by both her revelation and the mischievous glimmer that brought a little light in those dark eyes which stared with contentment back at her.

"Duh, genius! I did not think you capable of so much insight, at least not from what my sister's told me about you. The dumb, clingy, control freak blonde seems to have got an edge since being stuck in a cuckoo house." the brunette barked, battling her eyelashes suggestively.

The words stung Caroline deep in the heart. The friendship with Elena was all she had left and to hear the friend she worshiped and looked up to had spoken such venomously of her behind her back brought pained tears to her eyes and an awful ache invaded her throat as she struggled not to break out in tears.

Thankfully for her, the buzzing alarm went off indicating the end of the breakfast. The guards stood silently by the door, supervising everyone with a sternness which held an unspoken warning to anyone who shall dare to cross them.

Caroline quickly stood up from the chair and hurried to the door, eager to get away from the girl as fast as possible. She wanted to know more, she had a lot of questions as to how could Elena's sister's existence be kept hidden from her for so long, the little girl who practically lived at the Gilbert's whenever her mother had to work over-shifts-which was basically every week. That question and many more were present in Caroline's mind but she could not yet allow herself to indulge in childhood memories, not yet anyhow. Plus she was still feeling a little weary from the previous night, with her head pounding like a drum.

She rushed upstairs, into the rooms section, to throw herself on the bed and hide her face in the pillows to stifle the hysteric sobs that would force their way at last, after the rigid self-control that she had to maintain since her arrival there.

The wounds had been opened before they had time to heal themselves. And oh how it all stung…the sour taste of deception.

The next hour-recreation time- Caroline spent in her room dreading what she knew it would inevitably come. She felt as if the clock was mocking her about the slowly passing time. When one is miserable time passes at a snail's pace and so it seemed that she would forever be stuck in this immobile waiting. She despised that time because she was left alone with her thoughts and her fears which at times she felt they were her worst enemies always there to heap scorn on her and perpetuate her desperation.

Finally, her salvation came in the form of a buzzing alarm. It was time for her to make her confession in front of utter strangers and be done with it, once and for all.

* * *

Standing as still as possible in the middle of the room, Caroline tried her best to conceal her buzzing emotions, the only movement humanly visible was the flaring of her nostrils which were an obvious evidence, besides her reddened cheeks of her living state. As she had anticipated and heard many times before, Doc. Donovan's gentle voice echoed through the silence, breaking every form of composure Caroline had so hardly built.

"Caroline, I think it is your turn to speak now." a long stillness ensued and Caroline flashed him a sullen look before nodding ever so slightly.

The encouraging eyes of Doc. Donovan seemed to alleviate some of her nerves. Still there was the unmistakable pain she felt as she searched deep within her heart and mind. She tried to clear some of the shadows which cast a darkness upon her soul and find a clear path.

Never before had she spoken of the events leading to that unfortunate night. As she slowly spoke the words, it seemed like it was all happening once again, right there, right before her eyes.

"Only now do I realize that I have never loved him. Not once…At that time, it was just a lie I kept telling to myself to justify my cowardice. I… remember those nights I spent in the hospital were the most peaceful nights of my life because he was not allowed in. But even then in the stillness of the night I kept repeating that he was the love of my life, that it was I who did wrong, it was I who overstepped the boundaries and got him angry."

Her speech was followed by a deafening silence. Caroline couldn't gather enough courage to look up and be met by those sympathetic faces. She has seen them all too much.

"What about your parents? Didn't they take any action? What did they have to tell on that matter?" inquired the doctor and a surge of conflicting emotions hit Caroline.

"My father did not know…He left us when I was a little kid." she quaked, afraid of the question she knew would follow.

"And your mother?"

"My mother…" she laughed a laugh void of any amusement. It was a laugh that hid pure agony. "Oh, she knew, she just…didn't care. She blamed me for everything. She adored Damon and often wondered how such a good man could care for a careless, clingy idiot like me."

Caroline's breaths became uneven and her heart beat at an alarming pace. A veil wrapped around her eyes, blurring her vision and she felt a heavy weight pushing on her shoulders. The doctor called the nurses who immediately appeared by her side injecting a substance in her veins. She felt the cold, foreign liquid spreading through her body all the while healing her, calming her.

She could barely hear the mutters of the other patients as they gradually became more and more impatient. She could not begin to concentrate on what they were complaining about, to her it was all a mixing of sounds on a dizzy background.

* * *

The next thing she knew she was looking at the yellow ceiling of her room. When she tried to move she realized that hard straps were holding her in place. She was tied up… Once again she had caused a scene. She could kiss her plan to remain incognito goodbye. She guessed that if her name was known by few before, by now she would be the talk of the entire staff.

Whispers were coming from the hallway, just outside her door. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on their meaning. At first she couldn't make out one word but then, just as the whispers intensified she recognized that unmistakable dark tone in Klaus' voice.

"Why does she keep having those panic attacks? Isn't she on medication?" he asked rather possessively and although Caroline couldn't see him, she imagined the way his brows would curl up and his upper lip would twitch, exposing his sharp teeth.

She immediately shook off those thoughts and erased his face from her mind. She barely ever spoke to the man, yet she could not stop thinking about him. There was something about him…a thing she could not quite place.

Another hushed whisper followed by complete silence. Then the sound of footsteps departing.

Caroline wondered what her next move should be. If it weren't clear before, by now it seemed pretty obvious that she wouldn't get out of there too soon.

Just the image of the patients who were in another part of the hospital, who she knew for a fact were confined in there for most of their lives sent crippling tremors through her body. They were the severe cases and the look in their eyes…it scared her for she had never seen such blank expressions in her life.

Thankfully this was not the case for her because since her arrival at the hospital she had not seen such people in her area. Most of them were harmless just like her, who were driven to take physical action by exterior forces, victims of the society, of the environment itself. There were, of course those who were victims of their own mind, paranoids and those were the ones she felt she it would be in her best interest to avoid.

The rough leather material holding Caroline in place was hurting her wrists. She felt the need to stretch but could only move ever so slightly before the straps offered resistance.

She was struggling to no avail to break them. Terror struck her when a pair of strong arms emerged from the darkness untying her with one quick, elegant move. Her first impulsion was to scream and run for her life but then the same voice she heard merely minutes before spoke with confidence and gentleness.

"Shhh…it's okay. It's me. You're safe."

Caroline quickly stood up from her lying positions, grateful for her newly regained freedom to move. She did not know what to do. Klaus' head was back-lit from the moon light flooding the room through the window. His serious face, softened in what looked like concern.

Her eyes grew bigger and alarmed when he took one step closer to her. She couldn't really control her actions and she let out a faint gasp as she wobbled on her feet.

Although brief she saw the flash of hurt that crossed his chiseled features. As she began to make her way to the other part of the room, to put some distance between them, her legs let her down as she accidently tumbled into his chest. He was quick to catch her, his hand enclosing around her wrist, pulling her closely.

"I have you," he murmured, and she somehow got lost to him, shamelessly floating in his soft voice.

These actions were bizarre to her, not being able to understand what's happening. One minute she was a frighten kitten, and the next, she was hanging onto a man she hardly even knew and not wanting to be taken away from his shelter.

She must have lost more of rationale then she had previously thought.

Time stood still and she got lost in the vastness of his eyes. When he stood before her, they were so close that their breaths mingled together. At this distance she could see all the flecks and shades of blue in his eyes, the intelligence and age in them.

After what seemed like an eternity Caroline eventually regained her composure, partially aware of the incriminatory position they were in and the lateness of the hour. She pushed him aside with all the force she could gather and backed away from him like he was the plague. Again, the taste of rejection lingered on his face, but only for a few moments until it was replaced by the usual confident mask he so proudly wore.

She took a second to contemplate the man standing a few feet away from her. She hardly knew him at all, yet her heart stood still whenever she saw him.

_Do I have the same effect on him? Do his hands sweat at the mere thought of me?_ _Is his heart beat matching the pace of mine?__Does anything overwhelm him, like his presence does me? Does he feel like an entirely different person around me, like I do around him? Am I completely crazy in not understanding these sudden and emotionally-provoking reactions he instills in me? I just don't understand myself around him…_

"Easy love. This is no way to be thanking me for so kindly offering my help." he spoke ever-so-softly but with a coy smile playing on his lips which gave away his real intentions.

Once again she heard him speak the same endearment that would have all girls jump for joy and kiss his feet. But no, not her. Caroline felt all anger rise up to her cheeks in a desperate attempt to crawl out of her and devour the first person in its way.

"And what exactly would this so-called help be, huh? Maybe the fact that you barged into my room at such late an hour, you- a complete stranger to me, when you must certainly know that no one here is allowed with the exception of medical personnel, which I so happen to know you are not part of." Caroline exclaimed angrily, feeling relief at the momentary loss of control.

Klaus, however did not seem to mind her belligerent tone. He did not flinch one bit, he looked rather amazed by the confidence and authority with which the girl spoke.

"And how did you know I am not a doctor?" Klaus asked taken aback.

"I didn't, but I do now." Caroline hissed crossing her arms over her chest. "Why are you here, anyhow?" she couldn't stop from asking, curiosity taking over her.

"I think that is a discussion for another time." he answered taking a quick glance at his watch. "Good night, Caroline. I really hope you will sleep better without those damn things holding you in place." he abruptly said, indicating towards the bed where the remaining straps which only minutes ago caused deep wounds into her skin were visible.

Klaus began heading for the door when her soft voice broke through the silence. "Well, maybe I need them…"

That made him stop for a second, his back to her. "I don't think you do." he whispered and she could barely make out his words.

Then he left and she was once again surrounded by darkness. She half-whished he didn't because she wanted to know more about him. Question over question popped up in her head.

Since he is no doctor, why is he here? Who is he?What does he want?Why did he untie me?How come I never knew Elena had a sister?When will I get out of here?Where will I go once I get over this ordeal?

Inadvertently her hands reached for her stomach pressing ever so gently. Her eyes filled with tears as she let some of that memory unwind.

Needless to say those crippling thoughts plagued her whole remaining night.


End file.
